Emergency Words in Japanese

By Thomas P. Walton

Before you even think of going to Japan, take this invaluable summary of emergency words and phrases with you. So if you happen to run into Godzilla, just pull out your trusted list of Japanese emergency words and phrases–or just run the other way, screaming “Nigero!”(Run [away]!)

About Japanese Emergency Expressions

There are few situations that could be considered worse than not knowing how to speak Japanese during an emergency (not knowing how to excuse oneself to go to the restroom in the midst of a business meeting comes pretty close). Even though Japanese is a complex language (with many rules regarding social rank, gender, and mannerism), it is often the case that phrases are used in a conversation with certain omissions (In particular, the “subject” of a conversation is frequently omitted if the listener is aware of the subject spoken of). However, an emergency situation requires the speaker omit the polite form of speech. Like English, in Japanese there is no time to waste on cushioning your words during an emergency type situation (And if you see Godzilla, just run the other way). Common polite words, like “kudasai” or “shite kudasai”, are not used during an emergency. That having been said, the Japanese speaker isn’t entirely free from certain other rules during an emergency situation; such as gender.

Masculine and Feminine Japanese Phrasing

If you are a man you do not want to run down the street calling out in a female manner (otherwise you just might end up on the evening news). You’ll need to practice the phrases or at least carry a list of emergency words when you do travel through Japan (as a backup in case of an emergency).

During an emergency, a Japanese speaker will either be asking or commanding someone to do something. In this situation, the Japanese speaker will indicate his or her gender by selecting the proper words or phrases which are particular to the speaker’s gender.

More specifically, a male speaker will (in many cases) replace the end of a verb with “ro” or “re” when issuing a command (during an emergency).

Female speakers will change the end of a verb to “te” (during an emergency). However, even during an emergency situation, women tend to be more graceful speakers than men. For example (see list at the end of this article), that the word “hashitte”, meaning “run”, combines the sounds shi and te. This combination places an emphasis for accent on the shi in hashitte and a brief pause on the te (Of course, as a non-native speaker of Japanese, you are not expected to know all complexities of the language).

Please see the following emergency words and phrases reference (In the following quick reference gender is indicated as follows: (M) for a male expression; and (F) for a Female expression. Those expressions without a reference to gender are common across genders).

Action Verbs to Get Help or Issue a Command:

Help! - Tasukete

Somebody help!- Dareka tasukete

Run! - Hashire (M) / Hashitte(F)

Run (away)!- Nigero(M) / Nigete (F)

Hurry!- Isoge (M) / Isoide (F)

Stop! (Stop running.) - Tomare (M) / Tomatte (F)

Stop! (Stop doing.) - Yamero (M) / Yamete (F)

Wait! - Mate (M) / Matte (F)

Get down!- Husero (M) / Husete (F)

Hide!- Kakurero (M) / Kakurete (F)

Look out!- Kiotsukero (M) / Kiotsukete(F)

Be careful! - Kiotsukero(M) / Kiotsukete (F)

Emergency – Injury Related

Call an ambulance!- Kyuhkyuhsha o yonde

What’s wrong?- Douka shimashita ka

Witnessing a Crime Scene:

When witnessing a crime in action, you can add the word da after the subject noun (da is the English equivalent of “is”). Please observe the following examples:

Polite Speech Becomes Necessary to Make a Request

An emergency typically doesn’t require polite speech. However, there are some situations in which the speaker must ask for help in a polite manner. Such a situation might include asking for a doctor, or describing one’s symptoms to a doctor. Likewise, asking someone to take you to the police station cannot be demanded of another person. Requests tend to be phrased more politely than commands.

(The polite form is applied for the following situations when asking. The male and female forms are the same in the most phrases.)